Washington University: Enugu gov’t trains medical personnel on professional health management

In line with the administration of Governor Peter Mbah’s policy to revamp the health sector and make the state a hub of medical tourism, the Enugu State Government has trained scores of medical practitioners, including young medical doctors, nurses and other health professionals on health management and leadership at the University of Washington, United States.

Describing the exercise as well as the experience gathered from the indepth trainings as a stepping stone towards achieving a significant milestone in guaranteeing quality healthcare delivery, beneficiaries of the trainings appreciated the governor for his unwavering commitment to the health sector, pledging that the trainings would boost the quality of their outputs.

While receiving the first batch of the trained physicians and healthcare workers who underwent a three-month intensive training on health management and leadership in the United States on Wednesday at the Enugu State Government House, the governor disclosed that the healthcare system in the state remained a top priority of the administration which had reflected the huge investment in the sector, both in the  human workforce and in medical infrastructure to ensure that residents of the state enjoyed the best healthcare delivery offered anywhere in the world.

Governor Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, stressed that his administration, from inception of the government, set clear guidelines on the shape the state would take within 8-year period in order to ensure that established institutions would remain irreversible through capacity building and establishments that would outlive leaders.

He said the training of the health personnel was a reflection of his government’s determination at cross-generational capacity support that would enable the younger generation to understand and appreciate the concept of leadership,  complement and support their efforts in driving the emerging demands of the future.

‘’We are changing the landscape, setting something in motion, and ensuring that management is not stalling and maintaining the status quo but to integrate the things that will catalyse the transformative process. We are looking forward to investments that will yield a return and the return is in a way you treat other people and lead our institutions. We need a change in the feedback we get from those that come into our health facilties and not the ones you get among yourselves.

‘’We are holding all of you to very high standards. We would hold you accountable to the investment because our government operates on the principle of traceability, transparency and accountability. We want to see you do that in your behaviour and the way you do things. Don’t forget that the state looks at you as our flagship group that attended the University of Washington training and management in the health sector,’ Mbah said.

Earlier in his remark, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Matters, Dr. Yomi Jaye, said that the programme was part of the governor’s plan to increase the capacity building of the state’s health system, adding that the trainees had been duly certified by the Washington University on leadership and management in the health sector.

According to him, the trainees who were drawn from the state’s Colleges of Nursing, College of Medicine and other health institutions in the state, among whom are young doctors and nurses, had embarked hands-on  group discussions, practical sessions, project submissions and other comprehensive programmes throughout their stay in the United States.

‘’It is important to know that building structures and building facilities are not enough; that is why the governor is so pragmatic in his approach to say that capacity building is one of the aspects of what he is doing in the state. This programme will go a long way in changing the mindset of our teachers in the schools because the product we are going to be having is dependent on the quality of what we have inside us.

“The people that are going to be training the healthcare givers in our health institutions need a massive mindset change and that was why we decided to enrol this set of people in three months thorough course in leadership and management in health professional development. We are beginning to see changes in how they treat the people and teach in classes because they have gathered a lot of experiences in healthcare management and leadership,’ he said.

Prof. Uchenna Ekwochi, the Provost of Enugu State College of Medicine, who was also one of the participants, described the training as one which has affected their thinking and the manner in which they do their jobs in their profession, narrating that the exercise was an eye-opener that had exposed them to innovative strategies and styles of leadeship which would be cascaded to their students and colleagues.

‘’It is my pleasure to thank the state government under Governor Peter Mbah for approving and funding this programme.  We learnt a lot. This training has afforded us an opportunity to obtain a foreign certificate. It is truly beyond the certificate but has so impacted our leadership style. With this training, the public should expect innovations and transformation; a different and better order from the way things were done before now. What this training has deposited in our lives as leaders will go beyond what we are going to do in our different fcailities that will enable the world to know that there were once a time when leaders were sent for such training,’’ the provost added.

Expressing delight, Akpa Chinaza, who was issued a certificate of commendation by the university for her excellent work in serving as the Site Coordinator for the course, said the training exposed them to some key issues which included emotional intelligence and how to lead without authority when dealing with people of diverse backgrounds.   

According to her, ‘’Individually, we wouldn’t have afforded the cost of the training because of the dollar rate and the huge capital required to fund the life-changing training, but the state did it for us through the intervention of Governor Peter Mbah. Anyone who participated in this training can take up any position in health and lead well.’’

Addressing the press, the Council Chairman of Nkanu West Local Government, Chief John Ogbodo, who witnessed the event, expressed gratitude over what the state had done, saying that the training would soon begin to impact on the lives of the people across the state.

He commended the governor for his visionary leadership in turning the state around, making it a premier destination for businesses, health tourism, investment and good living.

‘’I want to thank our dear governor for this wonderful opportunity he is giving to our people. I am privileged to witness the certificates presentation, and I am glad that our people made it to this level. What I have seen and heard here today will go a long way in impacting other people, especially in managing the 260 type-2 primary healthcare across the state,’’ he further stressed.